And...Action!: kathy griffin

Showing posts with label kathy griffin. Show all posts

Sunday, July 11, 2010

entertainment industry coach Question 494:Kathy Griffin had a career before she got her reality show. How would an unknown do it?

This question was stemmed from yesterday's blog about how well Kathy Griffin has branded herself.

Personal branding in our industry is different for all classifications, yet has similarities. The person who asked this is an actress, so I'm going to address actors since they have a very specific and public way to brand themselves.

Use Kathy as a model. If you watch her show, she has branded herself, her friends, and her mother, each in a specific way, the same way characters are created in scripted television. The best way to follow Kathy's lead is to determine where you fit in casting. Assemble a cast of your "friends and/or family" around you who are unique and entertaining and create either a video or photo essay blog and/or YouTube channel. For an example of a photo journalistic story see: www.bethdubber.com (Beth is a photographer, so another example of how personal branding is similar between different classifications).

Once you've started, you have to market it. It's much easier than marketing a headshot because it's actual work that you're proud of.

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Saturday, July 10, 2010

entertainment industry coach Question 493: I'm watching Kathy Griffin D List and can't blog because I'm laughing too hard!

I turned on the TV this morning and because my DVR was recording Top Chef last night, I woke up to Kathy Griffin, My Life on the D List. I've never seen it before. She is judging a a toddler pageant, and I am laughing my butt off, which is necessary after my Kettlebell class last night causing my butt to KILL!

So why am I blogging about this? There is a lot to learn from Kathy's brilliant branding. If you look at her IMDB page, she has 64 acting credits. I know her best from Suddenly Susan, where she seemed to hit a peak.

Now we all know that with longevity in an entertainment career there are peaks and valleys. I imagine from 2001-2005 when things slowed, she maintained her writing and her stand-up. Then she jumped on the Reality Show band wagon and made it work! She's starring, writing, and BRANDING herself as D-List, when clearly she's putting out there that she is in fact ready for A-List roles.

It's working. Already in season six, you can see that her acting credits are growing again, and they are A-List, her comedy is HYSTERICAL, and she is a very smart business woman.

Kudos to Kathy's life on the D-List; she's climbing another peak and her business smarts is A-List in my book!